265 dead in failed Turkey coup
Erdogan warns U.S. to hand over cleric he blames for chaos
ISTANBUL — After suppressing an attempted coup and arresting nearly 3,000 soldiers, the Turkish government Saturday put the blame for the uprising on an opposition figure now living in the United States and warned that failing to extradite him would put the U.S. “practically at war” with Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who swept into Turkey’s largest city early Saturday to show he was back in charge, also moved quickly to punish those he holds responsible for the dramatic, deadly mutiny that threatened to topple the government.
The attempted coup left 265 dead and 1,440 others wounded, the government said, after a night of air battles, bombings and gunfire that rattled the capital of Ankara and left grave questions about Turkey’s longterm stability as well as its future role in the fight against Islamic State extremists in neighboring Syria.
Erdogan vowed Saturday that the military faction responsible for the uprising “will pay a heavy price for their treason.”
Tens of thousands of Turks marched through the streets in a half-dozen cities late Saturday, waving flags and singing songs in an outpouring of support for the longtime leader.
In addition to arresting military officers and soldiers, Erdogan ordered a broad purge of the judiciary, while many in Turkey feared he would also target other dissidents.
Erdogan appeared to be girding for a showdown with Washington, blaming the coup on a U.S.-based Turkish cleric and shutting down American military operations at a critical air base on Turkish soil. The two countries are strategically close but politically problematic allies.
Speaking to a massive rally of flag-waving, chanting supporters, Erdogan addressed President Barack Obama directly and said: “I told you to deport or give this person back to Turkey.
“I repeat my call on the U.S. and the president to give this person back to Turkey,” Erdogan said.
He was referring to Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim theologian living in exile in Pennsylvania who Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said was the head of a terrorist organization. Gulen has long been one of Erdogan’s chief political opponents.
Yildirim echoed the call for Gulen’s extradition.
“Whichever country supports him isn’t a friend of Turkey. It is practically at war with Turkey,” Yildirim said.
U.S. judicial officials said they had not received an extradition request.
The Turkish government has closed its airspace to military aircraft, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Saturday. As a result, all air operations against Islamic State originating at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey have been halted.
Flights into Istanbul’s international airport have resumed after being halted for nearly 24 hours. By late afternoon Saturday, mostly national carriers were flying into Istanbul.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration banned U.S. carriers from flying to or from Istanbul and Ankara airports, and also prohibited any carrier from flying into the U.S. from Turkey.
A Turkish government spokesman said a small group of Turkish officers stationed at Incirlik supported the coup and cited unconfirmed reports that an airborne tanker from the base was also used to refuel F-16 jets piloted by mutinous officers.
Incirlik has been a critical launching point for strikes against the militant group inside Syria, which shares a 500-mile border with Turkey. Due to the shutdown at Incirlik, U.S. military commanders are adjusting flight operations to minimize effects on ground battles that would normally be supported by airstrikes from U.S. warplanes based in Turkey. “U.S. officials are working with the Turks to resume air operations there as soon as possible,” Cook said.
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations against the Islamic State, will instead rely on U.S. aircraft based in more distant locations, such as Jordan and Qatar.
The Obama administration is voicing strong support for the Erdogan government against the coup plotters.
“The United States, without any hesitation, squarely and unequivocally, stands for democratic leadership, for the respect for a democratically elected leader, and for a constitutional process in that regard,” Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday. “We stand by the government of Turkey.”
Kerry said he understood that calm and order were being restored following a long night with “an unfortunate loss of life.”
He urged a proper “legal process” for the coup plotters. Kerry added that the U.S. would support “any legitimate investigative efforts ... under due process and within the law.”
Kerry said the U.S. government had not yet received an extradition request for Gulen from Turkey but would entertain any “evidence that withstands U.S. scrutiny.”